PUTRAJAYA, Dec 29 — Three mothers turned up at the National Registration Department (NRD), here, today to request for citizenship documents for their overseas-born children.
This came days after the Court of Appeal dismissed the government’s stay application and ordered the government to issue the children of Malaysian mothers who were born abroad, citizenship documents.
Sharing on what transpired at the NRD, their representative, Family Support and Welfare Selangor and Kuala Lumpur (Family Frontiers) president, Suriani Kempe said the NRD officials swiftly facilitated the process to get the citizenship confirmation certificate for these children which would be issued within three months.
After receiving their kid’s citizenship confirmation certificate, the mothers could then apply for the Malaysian identity card, MyKid or MyKad, for their children, she said.
“This is an exciting day. Today’s trip to the NRD breathed life into that decision and confirmed that Malaysian women have the equal right to confer citizenship to their children,” she told the media after accompanying the three mothers, Myra Eliza Mohd Danil, Adlyn Adam Teoh and another who only wanted to be known as Devi, to the NRD.
On September 9, the High Court declared that children born overseas to Malaysian mothers married to foreigners should be able to automatically pass on their Malaysian citizenship to their children born overseas.
As part of the decision, the High Court ordered the government to issue the relevant documents such as the identity card to these children in recognition of this effect.
Last Wednesday (December 22), the Court of Appeal dismissed the government’s application to stay the High Court ruling that children born overseas to Malaysian mothers married to foreigners are entitled to be Malaysian citizens, pending the disposal of an appeal.
The Malaysian government, Home Minister and the NRD director-general as the appellants, filed a stay application pending the hearing of their appeal. The Court of Appeal fixed March 23 next year to hear the appellants’ appeal.
With today’s progress, Suriani advised all affected mothers with a similar predicament to go to the nearest NRD to apply for the MyKad or MyKid for their children.
Myra Eliza, 30, said she had received the overseas birth registration application form and would be submitting it soon.
“As a mother, I am very happy. Since my daughter was four months old, I had tried hard to get a Malaysian citizenship for her but I’ve achieved it only now.
“Before the court’s decision was made, I was very sad as just because I am a woman married to a non-citizen, I could not ‘pass on’ my Malaysian citizenship to my daughter,” she added.
— Bernama
